Mara Steele
Changeling Name: Mara Steele Seeming: Ogre Kith: Bloodbrute Court: Dawn (formerly Winter) Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Wrath Description Apparent Age: Somewhere in her late thirties Height: 5' 9" Skin: Olive Hair Color: Dark brown Eye Color: Brown Clothing: Practical and comfortable, usually of the cargo-pants-and-t-shirt variety. She dislikes clothes which restrict her freedom of movement in any way. Physical Appearance (Mask): Mara's build is muscular - not to extreme bodybuilder levels, but there's clearly a lot of strength there. She always seems to exert a great deal of control over her body. Physical Appearance (Mien): You don't really need to ask about the nature of Mara's durance. The scars, dirt and blood that permanently cover her entire body make it all too clear. Mantle: Mara appears to be very faintly illuminated with a yellow-orange light, the colour of a sunrise on a clear day. Personality: Level-headed in a crisis, determined to follow her convictions and unswervingly loyal to those she cares about, Mara's exactly the sort of dependable person you want on your side when times are hard. She's not entirely unrufflable, though: those who've seen Mara when she's angry have an extra reason for wanting to stay on her good side. Luckily, these flashes of anger are rare... just as long as you don't threaten anyone or anything she loves. Noteworthy Merits: Ambidextrous, Fast Reflexes, Heavy Hands, Quick Healer Pinterest: Mara Steele Commonly Known Mara was once a soldier, but after her durance, she decided she'd had enough fighting to last several lifetimes. While she still occasionally joined Summer training sessions to exercise her body, she'd disappear the moment the sparring started. This avoidance of conflict wasn't limited to physical fighting, either - she supported King Ash's stance of neutrality when it came to the tensions between Winter and Summer, admiring what she saw as his attempts to bring greater unity to the Freehold. However, at some point, Mara apparently began to rethink her attitude towards fighting. Maybe it was an effect of the healing offered in Ash's court, maybe it was the fact that more time has passed since her durance, maybe she just decided that some things were worth fighting for. She first publicly took up arms at the Winter Market, attempting to defend her friend Milada when she was attacked by visitors from Houston. Shortly after this, she started sparring as part of Queen Rivah's "Ogre Club", and has continued ever since. Mara has claimed the safety of her fetch, Naomi, under the Fetch Compromise - an action that may not be strictly necessary, since Naomi's membership of the Dallas Freehold already gives her protection under Freehold Laws. Her children, Jenny (another fetch) and Michael (an ensorcelled human) are both members of Dallas as well; all three have been seen with Mara at Freehold events. Towards the end of Spring 2014, Mara left the Winter Court and moved to Dawn. Summer 2014: Mara stumbles out of Arcadia and joins the Winter Court in Fort Worth. Winter 2014: '''When a fight breaks out at the Winter Market, Mara steps in, defending Milada against Houston's Summer King. This is the first time she has fought since escaping Arcadia. '''Spring 2014: Mara brings guests to Spring Homecoming - her fetch and their daughter & son. All three swear to Dallas. Late Spring 2014: Mara leaves Winter and joins the Dawn Court. Uncommonly Known Mara killed her daughter in Arcadia, while under the influence of Gentry rage-magic that prevented her from realising what she was doing. Since then, she's been terrified that her anger may cause her to hurt someone else she cares about. It was only after losing her ability to feel anger, as part of a trade at the Goblin Market, that she allowed herself to start fighting again. However, this trade was temporary. Mara is now once again capable of anger, and is working hard with Victor to learn to control herself even under the influence of rage-magic. Mara's also determined to atone for the harm she caused in Arcadia. This atonement takes the form of working to defend or heal others, in ways ranging from acting as a bodyguard on Hedge-dives to volunteering at Baylor Hospital (where the healing she delivers is sometimes supernaturally-enhanced). Soundtrack * Till The Clouds Clear, Lamb * Superheroes, The Script Omen Child-Death When you cast Omen 1 on Mara, you receive a vision: You are in a large, amphitheatre-style arena. It looks as though it may have been inspired by the colosseum, but it is built all of polished white marble, an extravagant display of wealth and power. The glare of the stone in the sunlight almost hurts your eyes, although it seems to cause no discomfort to the many Fae who line the seats. In the centre of the arena is a large circle of black sand, littered with weapons of all kinds - although it's unclear whether they're discarded or waiting to be used. The air is thick with the smells of sweat and blood. Two combatants circle each other, one holding a net and trident, the other a shield and sword. The net-wielder is clearly Mara; you try to focus on her opponent's appearance but their features are curiously difficult to make out. All you can see are Mara's perceptions - HATE RAGE KILL - the Ogre's anger is nearly all-consuming. The only physical details you can glean are the fact that they're smaller than Mara, seem to be weaker, and clearly don't know how to properly use the weapon in their hands. Mara casts her net, and manages to ensnare her opponent. They stumble and fall, losing their grip on the badly-wielded sword as they do so. Mara rams her trident through their midsection, pinning them against the ground. The smaller combatant is already sure to bleed to death, now, but Mara doesn't stop - retrieving the fallen sword, she uses it to stab and slash and hack at the hated enemy over and over. They try, feebly, to raise their shield, use it to ward off the blows - but Mara is unstoppable. She wounds and she maims, and even after the small body finally falls still, she does not relent. Then you hear applause. Mara looks up, and you see a Gentry walking across the sand towards her, clapping enthusiastically and bearing the expression of a proud theatre director whose play has come off exactly as he hoped. "My best little ogre," he croons. "You enjoyed that, didn't you? It was beautiful; you killed her so well." He smirks. "Look again." As he speaks, you feel the Fae-induced anger drain away from Mara. She turns to look once more at her victim, and this time their appearance is clear - as is Mara's horrified recognition. Lying on the sand is the mutilated corpse of a little girl whose features bear a startling resemblance to Mara's own. Mara is on her knees beside the girl's body in an instant, searching for any sign of life - even though it's obviously far too late. Noises come from her throat: at first they seem to be nothing more than animal whimpers, but after a while they resolve into two words - Jenny and no. "Ah, but it was your best fight yet, poppet," the Gentry tells her. "I'll see you get a nice reward for this. Maybe we'll set up another match like this one - won't that be fun? I'll have to bring your son to Arcadia first, of course, but I'm sure I can manage a little thing like that for you, my pet." Mara stands, hefting her sword. "Go to hell," she tells her Keeper, and spits in his face. "There's that fighting spirit I love," he replies, still beaming like a proud parent. As the vision fades, his smile doesn't falter, not even when Mara rams her sword through the part of his chest where a human would keep their heart. OOC Information Player Name: Anna K Player Email:Category:WinterCategory:PC itokro@gmail.comCategory:Fort Worth